ESTONIAN MIHKEL RÄIM TAKES THE WIN OF STAGE 1 AT TOUR DE BEAUCE

(Saint-Georges, QC) The Estonian cyclist Mihkel Räim, racing for Cycling Academy Team, won the first stage of the 31st Tour de Beauce after a full day within the breakaway.

The US National Road Champion Gregory Daniel (Axeon Hagens Berman), took second place, followed by Chad Beyer (Team Lupus), an american veteran of 29 years who completed the Giro d’Italia in 2011. The Belarusian champion Andrei Krasilnikau (Holowesko-Hincapie) rounded off the podium in third place.

Second in the first stage the Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay and third overall last week, Räim still had energy for this first stage in Saint-Georges. The race was decided after 4 h 28 min 26s of sustained effort.

“We proved today what we are capable of doing. Guillaume, I hope you're well and this win is for you,” said Räim I honour of his Quebec captain and teammate Guillaume Boivin, seriously injured in a crash on Saturday at the GP Saguenay.

Under clear skies but swept by strong winds, three riders attacked early in this long race of 185 km. The breakaway riders were later joined by four other riders and the group got along wonderfully, and quickly increased its lead to seven minutes.

The break comprised of riders from several different team was never threatened by the return of the peloton as it left the circuit of Saint-Odilon-de-Cranbourne. With forty kilometers to go, the gap was still about five minutes.

Only the Cycling Academy Team could benefit of two riders among the lead group, and the Israeli-based team did not miss this opportunity. Wearing his Namibian National Champion jersey, Dan Craven, 33, backed his young teammate.

The lead melted to about 1m30s with five kilometers to go and the five survivors all came together in the last corner for a hard uphill sprint.

Räim crossed the finish line ahead of Daniel, who tried everything to edge him for the win, but without success. Not surprisingly, all the jerseys were rounded up by members of that victorious breakaway.

In his first Tour de Beauce, the Estonian thus dons the yellow jersey as well as the white jersey for leading the Points classification.

For his part, Chad Beyer, sixth recently in at the Philadelphia Classic, took the lead in the Mountains jersey and the point guard Greg Daniel for U23.

Best Quebecers of the race was David Boily of Garneau-Quebecor, ranked in 14th position The Team Quebec failed to place a rider in the breakaway.

"We almost did but it was a little disjointed at first. And seven minutes it was too much to come back," said sporting director Pascal Hervé.

The Silber Pro Cycling team, which shone in the Saguenay, and that of the Canadian National Team with Hugo Houle, also did not join the breakaway.

Several teams with good climbers will want to redeem themselves Thursday for the second stage, which will depart from Lac-Mégantic and ends after 170 kilometers of racing at the summit of Mount Mégantic National Park. Cycling Academy Team should ride up front to protect their leader in Räim, and could suffer in the challenging final climb of almost six kilometers.